Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the March 18 episode of his ABC talk show but telling viewers that Donald Trump is “still stewing about a joke I made about him at the Oscars.” Kimmel hosted the 2024 Academy Awards and stopped the show right before the best picture category was announced to read aloud Trump’s criticism of the ceremony. Trump posted on Truth Social during the Oscars and called Kimmel a bad host.
“Well, thank you, President Trump,” Kimmel fired back. “Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still — isn’t it past your jail time?”
Trump was asked about the Oscars moment during a recent interview with Fox News. Kimmel threw to clips of the Fox News interview in which Trump bashed Kimmel as a “lousy host” and “not a talented guy.” Trump proceeded to say that Kimmel’s “ratings are terrible” for his ABC talk show.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Kimmel told viewers about Trump’s continued stewing over the Oscars moment. “Donald Trump has said I’m not talented so many times Eric is starting to get jealous.”
“But what he doesn’t realize is that I love this,” Kimmel continued. “I love that this bothered him so much, I love that Fox picked a news guy nobody knows to interview him, and I especially love when he tries to spin the fact that everyone was laughing at him into a positive.”
Kimmel revealed the day after the Oscars that people told him not to read Trump’s diss out loud on stage, but he refused to listen. Trump told Fox News that Kimmel is “dumber than I thought” because he made Trump go viral during the Oscars by reading the social media post live on stage.
“This thing went viral. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut,” Trump said.
Kimmel reacted by telling Trump that “you forget why it went viral all over the world,” pointing to Kimmel’s punchline that asked: “Isn’t it past your jail time?” Kimmel noted that clothing, mugs and more merchandise are now being sold on the internet with that anti-Trump catchphrase.
“But if only I’d kept my mouth shut,” Kimmel joked. “Imagine him telling anyone they should’ve kept their mouth shut. That should be on his tombstone: ‘Should’ve kept his mouth shut.’”
Watch Kimmel’s full monologue in the video below.
